Switching Places
by Mist-chan
Summary: When the Weasley twins have a mix-up at the Yule Ball, trouble ensues... Has a touch of Harry and the gang, Hermione especially nearing the end. I took the liberty of giving the twins personalities--hope you like it! [Updated; no duplication at end this


Switching Places

By Mist-chan

# Characters © J.K. Rowling

_ _

*~*~*~*~*

_ _

Fred Weasley straightened the clasp on his Hogwarts robe and grinned at himself in the bathroom mirror.Life was so good.He was popular, funny, had a great girlfriend—well, he wasn't _really Angelina's boyfriend, yet.But that would change soon._

Tonight was the night of the Yule Ball, the Christmas dance held at Hogwarts.Because of the Triwizard Tournament being held this year, the Yule Ball was especially unique; each of the contestants had to bring a partner to the ball.

Fred, however, wasn't really worried about all that.He, in his sixth year, had finally asked Angelina to the dance—for the past two years they'd been struggling with whether they were "just friends" or "more than friends".Fred had known all along – it had just taken Angelina some time.

"Hey, George—are you coming?We're already a bit late," Fred called to his twin brother, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, just as soon as you get out of the bathroom.Other people need to make themselves beautiful, you know," George said sarcastically."Blimey—you look cheerful."

Fred felt very cheerful."Yeah, I am," he said honestly.George laughed and shook his head slightly, taking his turn in the bathroom.George was slightly jealous of Fred, just because he had a girl to ask to the dance—Alicia Spinnet was going with Lee Jordan, and George didn't really like anyone else in his year.Perhaps Katie Bell, but she seemed to have her eye on Fred, as well. 

He finished in the bathroom and stepped out."Let's go," he said to Fred, who looked slightly nervous, with another patented Weasley Twin Grin.

*~*~*~*

In the Gryffindor Common Room, Fred looked around in the mulling crowd for Angelina.He patted George on the back in parting and went through the crowd.

  
He passed Ron and Harry and paused."Hey, Ron!" he called.

Ron, pink-eared, turned to him.He was whitish, but his nose was red.Fred pushed his way to him and gave him a pat on the back."Don't be nervous, Ronniekins, it's just a dance."

"Yeah," Ron said, voice squeaking."Just—just a dance, right."

Harry didn't seem much calmer.Fred shook his head, wished them both luck, and wandered through the crowd.He knew where Hermione, the other part of the threesome, was: with Viktor Krum.He'd heard from Ginny, and had, for once, kept the secret.He knew Ron had a thing for Hermione—it was obvious.But they would work that out on their own.

Finally, he spotted Angelina's black hair and strode over to her and her friends—Alicia and Katie—facing her back.He lifted his hands over her eyes and held them there."Guess who?"

"Fred!" she squealed and turned around, laughing.Katie and Alicia laughed too.

"Well, Angelina," Katie said in a drawling voice, "I guess we should leave you two alone."Alicia nodded, giving a light punch on Angelina's arm. Angelina turned pink and her friends disappeared into the crowd to find their dates.

Fred bowed a little to Angelina, then rose and smiled at her."_Hopefully they'll let us know it's ready soon.Then we can go down and have some fun."_

Angelina nodded, suddenly shy, and grinned at him.

Yes, thought George, with an air of vanity, it is _so obvious._

A head boy yelled from the portrait-hole that it was time to go down, and the crowd moved sluggishly into the Great Hall.

*~*~*~*

George entered the Great Hall alone, straggling behind a few other kids in his year.He felt rather out of place, but he didn't feel like asking anyone to dance.He wandered around on the edge of the hall, watching people dance.As the song switched to a quicker pace, he saw a gap in one of the groups.Angelina and Fred were dancing wildly in the center—really getting into it, to put the situation lightly.

George had always wanted to dance with a girl with that kind of confidence.

George had always been the "lesser" of the two twins.Fred made most of the decisions, and George, though he had a sense of humor too, had ended up just going along after him.The trouble was, to outsiders—other than the twins and maybe Lee—it seemed like they were both in it together.

George sighed with a glance around.Even _Hermione had a date.Make no mistake, Hermione was nice, but… How could _she_ have a date and not him?George Weasley, one of the most popular boys at Hogwarts—going solo?_

This was getting ridiculous…

He made his way through the floor, looking for someone to dance with.

*~*~*~*

The song ended and Fred gradually stopped dancing.He and Angelina were flushed and panting from dancing so much.

"Let's take a break…Want something to drink?" he asked Angelina, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," Angelina answered.

"Good, because I was going to go even if you didn't want a drink."He winked at her and pushed through the crowd to the drinks table.

Angelina knew what she had to do tonight.She knew Fred probably already knew too—she had to tell him that she really liked him.It was no big deal, really.But she had to tell him before she lost confidence…

Suddenly she saw Fred in front of her, not really looking her way. 

"Hey—forget drinks," she said with a sweet smile, and grabbed his hand."Come on, I have something I need to tell you."

*~*~*~*

George blinked but let himself be dragged along by Angelina.Hadn't Fred told her yet?And what did she have to tell him?

In moments they were outside.Angelina sat them down on a bench in the garden and looked up at the sky, still holding onto George's hand.The sky was filled to the brim with glittering white stars against a perfect ink-black sky.

"I like you," Angelina whispered."A lot."

George blinked and said nothing.Angelina liked _him?What had happened to Fred?_

"I, uh…"

But then Angelina kissed him.

*~*~*~*

Fred made his way back to where he had _thought he had left Angelina. But she wasn't there.Holding the two glasses of what looked like punch – he wasn't sure just what they were – he made his way through the edge of the crowd just in time to see a redheaded boy and a black-haired girl going out the door to the gardens._

He cursed under his breath and turned around into Ron, who was scowling.

"Ron?" he said.

"Yeah, what," Ron replied crankily.

"Want some punch?"This came out the wrong way – all Fred wanted to do was give Ron the punch he was holding, but Ron had different ideas.

"Ohh no.You're not pulling that on me, again, remember two years ago when you heard some Muggle commercial and asked me if I wanted a Hawaiian punch and then you—"

"Oh shut up, Ron," Fred said and pushed the cups into Ron's hands.Then Fred ran out of the room and into the garden.

*~*~*~*

George didn't know why he let Angelina keep kissing him.Maybe it was because he was jealous of Fred – maybe it was because he secretly liked her.He wasn't sure.But he hadn't even realized who she thought he was until she pulled away slightly; eyes closed, and said, "I like you, Fred."

George let go of her shoulders, eyes wide."_What?"_

"Huh?" Angelina's blissful face faded."Fred…?"

George's ears pinked and, in awe, he shook his head."George."

"_George?"Angelina's eyes started to shine, the way they did when someone was about to cry._

George stood up."I have to…"

But he turned and walked into Fred, whose face was twisted in rage and face as red as his hair.

*~*~*~*

Fred stood looking at George, utterly furious.

How could his own brother _do this to him?He'd made Angelina __cry.How could he?_

"What the _heck do you think you're doing, George?"_

"Nothing!"

He softened as he glanced at Angelina, whose cheeks were stained with silent tears.She opened her mouth and spoke.

"I know why you two did this.You thought it would be funny to trick me, didn't you?"

"No!" the twins shouted in unison.Both glared at each other as they realized they had spoken together.

Angelina ignored them."Always _me_.Whenever I find someone who I _think I like, and likes me back… something happens, and it's all ruined."She was crying freely now._

"I… no, 'Lina, I like you—" he started to put his hand around her shoulder – "I've always wanted to tell you that… But then, tonight when _George came in—"_

"I didn't _do anything!"_

Angelina pushed Fred's arm off."I don't care, whatever, I'm not stupid…I have to go…" And without another word she ran back through the gardens.

"Look, Fred, I—she came up and didn't say 'Fred' until after she kissed me—"

"She _what?_She _kissed you_?You!"

"She pulled me to the gardens and—"

"She—_kissed _you?"

George's temper was running out."YES, she kissed me and I BLOODY WELL LIKED IT!"

Fred shut up then, for once.There was a moment of silence in which the twins glared at each other – George in fury and Fred in disbelief.Finally, George stormed off into the Great Hall and ended up in the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, where he dropped into a troubled sleep.

*~*~*~*

The next day, as George sluggishly walked down the short flight of steps to the Gryffindor common room, very tired.George had lied awake all night, wondering just exactly what had happened.He was sure he and Fred would make up soon enough.But what had bothered him was why he'd let Angelina kiss him.

George turned and saw Harry and Ron sitting at the chess table.

"How can you two play chess this early in the morning?"

"George," Ron said absently, "it's eleven o' clock."

George groaned. 

"Don't worry," Harry added quickly, "everyone's just about gotten up, too.Fred is over there, if you're looking for him," he added.

George groaned again and stalked off in the opposite direction.

"What's with him?" Ron wondered out loud."They're never separated!"

Harry shrugged.He had enough to worry about…

*~*~*~*

Fred sat in a large scarlet chair on the far end of the room, glancing over at Angelina and her friends, whose mourning was getting rather tiresome—"It's okay, Angelina… Fred's so horrible!Fred's so this!Fred's so that!"—and when the conversation finally tuned to George, Fred had tuned them out.

Finally, he decided this had gone on long enough.George was his best friend, his twin, and he knew this wouldn't go on forever.

But… he didn't want to be the one who apologized.

So he just kept silent.

*~*~*~*

A week later signaled the end of Holiday vacation, and the Weasley twins still weren't speaking to each other.Ron and Ginny had tried to get the story out of them, but with no avail, and had finally turned to Lee Jordan, the twin's best friend.

"I donno," Lee had answered after a moment's thought."I've talked to them, but they seemed—distant, I guess…" He paused."You know, come to think of it, they weren't even impressed when I showed them the secret passageway to the girl's dormitory!You'd think they'd have cheered up a bit at that, but…"

Almost everyone was worried.Hardly anyone had seen Fred or George talk to each other since the Yule Ball…

  
*~*~*~*

Snape had called for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th years to have a large Potions class, all together, because Snape wanted to show all four classes this new potion at the same time.

As the classes filed into the room (which had been made larger by magic, so it could fit all of them), Snape cleared his throat, and eventually the classes quieted.Dumbledore and McGonagall stood in the corner, as they had no classes that period, watching.

"Now," Snape said in a particularly annoyed voice, "I was just going to show this potion to the 7th years, but Professor Dumbledore suggested that I show it to all of you.Might I put it into his words, because it would be…'_fun_.'"This was punctuated with a nasty scowl.

"Now, the potion that I'm going to show you is called the 'Duplicatem Elixir'."He grabbed a goblet of foaming purple liquid and held it up."As you may have guessed from the name, this potion gives you a duplication of yourself."

"Oh, no!Not two Malfoys!" Ron shouted, and then turned scarlet and sunk down into his seat as the rest of the class looked at him.Malfoy gave Ron an ugly look, who returned it right back.

Snape cleared his throat, silencing Ron."If I could take points away, Weasley, I would," he murmured, then continued. "Many great Dark wizards use this potion to confuse Aurors; the problem is that the duplications themselves are uncontrollable, and end up doing exactly the opposite of what you want them to do.The duplications, luckily, end up lasting only for about an hour.

"So, what we are going to do today in this double period—" groans from the Gryffindors, and Snape cleared his throat "—is to study how to control the duplications, how to make the potion, and how to make best use of it.Open your textbook to page 567 for instructions; you will find the needed materials in the back of the room.Misters Fred and George Weasley, come up here." No one moved.Snape sneered and then ordered, "Get moving!"

So Fred and George trudged over to Snape's desk, completely ignoring the other.Snape's eyebrow raised, but he said nothing of their fighting."This particular potion has a strange effect on twins," he said."And because you both _are_ twins—"

"Yes, thanks, like we needed reminding," muttered Fred under his breath, arms crossed.

Snape took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself."And because you are both twins, I cannot allow you to use the potion…however…" He began to rummage in his desk, finally pulling out a dusty book.In faded, curly, gold lettering it read _Famous Twins in Modern Wizarding History_."I would like both of you, working together, to prepare a report on three sets of twins from this book." He went on to explain how the paper was to be graded and what exactly was to be in it, and that it was expected at the end of the next day.

Fred and George simply glared at each other.

*~*~*~*

"We have to _drink this stuff?" Ron mumbled out loud to Harry and Hermione."What rubbish…" He began to stir his purple—slightly blue, truth be told—Duplicatem Elixir._

Hermione sniffed and swilled her goblet, which was full of perfect, foaming purple liquid exactly like Snape's."Hmm…I think mine needs more pea pods."

Harry peered into his."Somehow, I don't think I've managed to succeed…" Indeed, his potion was an ugly greenish magenta, and fizzing dully, not foaming.Hermione glanced at it from over the book and gave Harry a reproving look.

"Harry!How could you forget a bit of yourself?"

Harry glanced at his book.A small bit of parchment was covering the last ingredient.He brushed it aside and it fell to the floor.The last ingredient was now visible: "a hair from your head. Or, if you're bald, a fingernail, etc."

Harry tugged out a piece of his wild black hair and dropped it into the goblet, swilling it a little.The elixir turned a comfortable purple and began to bubble, then foam."Right—I think I've got it."

Hermione glanced at both their potions, decided they were satisfactory, and glanced around."Okay…we have to drink every drop, or the duplications will have half an arm or something… Well, ready to drink it?"

Harry and Ron nodded."On the count of three—

"One—

"Two—

"Three!"

*~*~*~*

Fred and George walked back up the steps to their row of seats.Envious of the others, and not wanting to write a paper, they sat down next to each other and stared at _Famous Twins in Modern Wizarding History in silence._

Neither moved.Neither said a word.

They only glared at each other…

*~*~*~*

The potion itself tasted like grapes – grapes that foamed themselves down Harry's throat.But the weirdest part wasn't that.Really, it was how the duplications were created.

It was like seeing a moving, mirror image—like if you put your hand on a mirror.But there wasn't a mirror.You couldn't feel anything, except a somewhat sucking sensation.To the eyes, though, it looked as if another Harry was stepping out of the original Harry, until finally, there were two of them.

Hermione gasped.The identical Hermione next to her scowled and Hermione glanced at her and gave a little yelp.

Ron chuckled.His duplication was a bit blue around the edges.Ron clapped a hand on his duplication's shoulder but, with a snotty look reminiscent of Percy's, it shifted to the side and brushed its shoulder off.

Harry's began to flirt with Lavender Brown, who started to giggle—or her duplication started to giggle.It was getting very confusing.

They spent the rest of the period experimenting on their duplications.It seemed that they were the exact opposites of the original person.Harry's was a flirt, Ron's was snobbish and pretended it knew everything, and Hermione's was a rebel (it began to rip its robes to little pieces, to the delight of most of the boys in the class, until Hermione finally stopped it).

Snape then shouted, "Write a two-foot long paper on the Duplicatem potion for tomorrow!"And the bell rang.

*~*~*~*

The next day, George decided to go to the library.Fred wasn't going to do his share of the paper, so George eventually gave up on him.George had been in there for two hours—it was almost midnight—and he was getting tired.

He thought to himself.He didn't _want to fight with Fred.But he had his pride… Unfortunately Fred did too…_

George put his hands over face.Everything was too much…

Finally he drifted off to sleep.

_"Fred?" a voice said from the doorway of the library._

George, half-asleep and eyes still closed, answered, "George."

"_George_?What are you doing _here_?"

George looked up sleepily, then woke up as his eyes widened."_Hermione_? It's midnight!"

"I couldn't sleep… what are you doing down here?"Hermione sat across from him at the table.

"Nothing," he answered automatically.

Hermione glared at him and he let out a long sigh."Okay, so a lot's wrong—not a big deal."

"Yes, it is a big deal! You and Fred have been fighting for two weeks!"

George finally broke down and explained to Hermione what had happened the night of the Yule Ball, conveniently forgetting the parts about him being jealous of Fred.She was silent throughout the whole thing.Then she looked at George for a moment, after he'd finished.

"Well," she began cautiously, "it doesn't sound like it's your fault…"

"Right, it's Fred's f—"

"But it isn't Fred's either!It's not _anyone's_ fault.It was just a misunderstanding.Look—do you want me to talk to Fred?He's not mad at me, and I'm sure he'd listen.Then everything could be okay again."

George paused.It couldn't hurt…

"Okay."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Well—uh… thanks," George said, feeling a little better, then smiled at Hermione.Her cheeks became a little pinker and she smiled back.

*~*~*~*

The very next morning, Hermione talked to Fred and explained everything.Fred reluctantly listened, and accused George of lying quite a few times, but Hermione convinced him that it wasn't George's fault.So that night, in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione grabbed Fred and pulled him toward George.

"Now," Hermione said as they stopped in front of George, who looked up at them. "Both of you, apologize."

"Sorry," they mumbled in unison.

"Oh, good enough.Now, I want you two to understand and know that it wasn't the other's fault, _okay?_Just a misunderstanding…"

George sighed.Fred's stubbornness was worse than his own, so he might as well make up first."Okay—look, I'm sorry.It _was _partly my fault for letting her kiss me."

"And I guess I shouldn't have overreacted.Sorry."

They shook hands, then smiled at each other.With a sly grin, they both tackled Hermione into a bear hug.

Hermione, taken back, could only laugh.

*~*~*~*

**end**


End file.
